This pastelli recipe is a very good, nutritious, sweet snack. In the good old days it was seen as a good thing, an extravagance, along the lines of ‘‘Finish your food and you can have a piece of pastelli.’’ I love it with the pistachio nuts that the island of Aegina is so well known for. It’s very easy to make yourself, and the amount can easily be doubled.–Tessa Kiros

LC Not What You Expect Note

Yup, this is the homemade version of those individually-wrapped sesame and honey candies found in the bulk bins of health food stores. You know the ones. They often taste what seems to be a tad stale. Then again, maybe it’s just that they’ve absorbed the aroma of freshly juiced kale and carrots. But not these little lovelies. They won’t have sat there for two years, three months, and seventeen days before you take a nibble, and that makes all the difference for that honey flavor to envelope you and all your senses. Well, at least the most important sense. While they’re not the only way to satisfy a honey craving, they’re a darn good one.

Pastelli Recipe

Ingredients

Mild vegetable oil for the work surface

3/4cup plus 2 teaspoonssesame seeds

1/3cupshelled pistachios, broken in half

1/4cupsugar

1/4cupmild-flavored runny honey

Directions

1. Lightly oil a wooden spoon and a flat, heatproof work surface, such as a slab of marble, a plastic pastry sheet, even a large, flat plate. Have a small bowl of ice water ready and your rolling pin ready.

2. Place the sesame seeds and pistachios in a nonstick skillet and toast them lightly over low heat just until they take on a hint of color. (Editor’s Note: You want to be careful not to overdo the toasting, as the seeds and nuts will remain in the skillet and will continue to take on a deeper, richer hue and taste. If you happen to turn your back and accidentally toast them a little too much, transfer them to a plate and continue with step 3, melting the sugar without the seeds and nuts in the skillet. Then return the seeds and pistachios to the skillet when you add the honey. Trust us. We’ve been there.)

3. Add the sugar to the seeds and nuts in the skillet and cook, without stirring, over low heat until the sugar melts and takes on a pale golden hue.

4. Standing back so as to avoid any potential splatters, carefully add the honey to the skillet. Working quickly, stir the honey into the sesame seeds and pistachios and mix it while you can, as the mixture will soon turn sticky and thick. Scrape the pastelli out onto the oil-slicked work surface and flatten it a bit with the back of the oiled spoon. Still working fast and furious, dip your hands in the cold water and then use them to form the pastelli into a rectangular shape. Grab your rolling pin and level the surface, stretching it to a rectangle that’s about 1/4 inch thick and roughly 6 by 7 inches in length.

5. Let the pastelli cool for just a few minutes, and then cut the pastelli into 1 1/4-inch squares. But don’t dally or the pastelli will become too hard to cut. (The pastelli keeps in an airtight container for many days.)

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Recipe Testers Reviews

Simple, straightforward, and satisfying, these little squares make an ideal snack or light dessert; they’re almost like Greek granola bars. They’re also incredibly quick and easy to make – if you can turn on a stove, you can make them. The only tricky part is turning them out of the skillet and shaping them into a rectangle. Because they’re quite sticky, they’re difficult to handle. I found that turning the mixture onto a Silpat worked very well, and that letting them cool for less than a minute made them easier to shape. I’d also recommend using your hands to shape them instead of a spoon or spatula – both get too sticky to be of much use.

I made this three times in the last week, each time making small changes, but each batch disappeared very quickly. The directions say to toast the seeds and nuts lightly. The first time, I toasted them for a little longer than I should have, trying to get a pretty color, but the final product had too much of a toasted – almost burnt – sesame taste to me, but were still good. The second batch I only lightly toasted, and it was much better. The recipe was so easy, the seeds and pistachios were easy to mix with the honey (not sure why you’re told to stand back – the honey did start to sizzle each time, but no splatters). I used a silicone spatula sprayed lightly with oil to stir, and then the same spatula instead of a spoon or my hands to smooth and shape the candy. It was very easy to control, smooth and shape into a rectangle. The third time I made the recipe, I used a little lemon zest and cinnamon to give it a little more baklava flavor – this was by far everyone’s favorite. A great recipe that is easy and fun to play with. I’m sure you could change the type of nuts, too, and it would still be a hit.

My daughter had to do a project for school on a Greek food. We found this recipe after using another one that turned out disastrous. I have too say these are soooo good!! I am going to make more for us to eat ourselves.

Candice, what a clever teaching technique! Food intersects our lives in so many fashions, love to hear that the kids are exploring a few of them. And love to hear that you’ll be further exploring just how long these pastelli can last on your countertop…thanks so much for letting us know! Anytime you have another school project on food, by all means, let us know…

I just made these with almonds instead of pistachio and a hint of cinnamon. Amazing. A definite must-try if you have tons of sesame seeds in the pantry and have no idea what to do with them. Or just make it because you’re a sucker for the stuff.

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